Walled Gardens - The Walls Keep Tumbling Down
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Walled Gardens, at least the Internet-related version, do not seem to get the respect their owners might think is their due.
Of course walled gardens are created with the economic interests of the owners in mind. They do give value to those who visit the walled gardens but those outside the walls may naturally be somewhat jealous. .. and even those inside may resent the restrictions on their freedom they must accept.
The subject is getting increased intention particularly on the Mobile Web. The walls seem to be lowering or even disappearing. For example at the NMS - Connect 2006 Americas Conference, R. Brough Turner noted the differing views of Cingular and DoCoMo in his note on Open or Walled Garden. Docomo follows the Open model, while Cingular so far is resolutely walled, although there is internal discussion on this.
Now Ajit Jaokar suggests that the future is bright .. The future is 3 .. He’s clearly declared which camp he’s in by the name of his blog, Open Gardens. .. and he’s delighted that Hutchison Whampoa are going Open with 3 and also adopting a fixed fee policy. Their announcement read as follows:
The X-Series from 3 marks the beginning of the Internet via mobile broadband, and heralds a new way of doing business for mobile network operators. It will extend several of the core applications and uses of the broadband Internet to the mobile handset, with a new pricing model. The X-Series from 3 will be supported by the leading Internet companies, cutting-edge handsets from the world’s leading mobile manufacturers and premium customer service. Customers will be able to make unlimited calls from their mobile using Skype, watch their home television via their mobile using Sling, access their home PC remotely using Orb and have access to the best of internet and messaging services from Yahoo!, Windows Live Messenger and Google. The X-Series from 3 will be priced like fixed line broadband. It will offer use of mobile Internet services free at the time of use, for a flat fee.
As we all work towards the Ubiquitous Web, we should trumpet the news as the walls keep tumbling down.
Tags: walled gardens, ubiquitous Web
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November 26th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
[...] Using an interesting metaphor, Barry Welford suggests in Walled Gardens - The Walls Keep Tumbling Down that although some companies have adopted the Walled Garden approach to their mobile technologies and services, others are dropping this closed approach when they see the advantages of more open system. It’s posted at StayGoLinks. [...]
November 29th, 2006 at 12:58 am
I feel the ‘Walled Garden’ approach is something that was created with vested interests in mind, keeping people away from content that’s available as freeware (from images to music) to sell them the same stuff for an undeserved quick buck but this approach seriously hampers the growth of what we call truly wireless future. The steps taken by hutchison to provide unlimited open web for a fixed fee are welcomed, its good to see that personal interests centric walled garden approach going down with time.
January 16th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
[...] The issue of walled vs open gardens has also been hotly discussed by the mobile device industry, which even features some excellent blogs dedicated to open gardens. In the mobile phone industry the walls around developing and accessing content seemed to be lowering, but, it seems, there are other barriers to surmount in the pursuit of more open access to content and functionality. Doug T writes: “The new walled garden is not the content you can view on your phone, but rather the applications that you can install on your phone.” [...]
February 19th, 2007 at 11:16 am
[...] Related: Google Loses In Belgium Newspaper Case - review by Danny Sullivan Walled Gardens - The Walls Keep Tumbling Down - in the Mobile Web [...]
July 4th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
[...] Barry Welford presents Walled Gardens - The Walls Keep Tumbling Down posted at StayGoLinks, saying, “Some companies have adopted the Walled Garden approach to their technology and their services. Some are dropping this as they see the advantages of the Open approach.” [...]
August 6th, 2007 at 11:53 am
[...] There were already signs that the walls were tumbling down and the latest Wall Street Journal article, Breaking Down the Walls Of Phones’ Web Gardens, lists a number of the reasons for this. The article perhaps places too much emphasis on the browser issues, although clearly the Opera Mini, the Apple iPhone and the Microsoft Deep Fish when it arrives, are all weakening the walls. [...]
August 14th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
[...] Related: Your Call Is Important To Us - Roberto Rocha Customer Service From Telecommunications Companies Walled Gardens - The Walls Keep Tumbling Down [...]